Our Compassionate Priest

Take your Bibles if you would please and turn to Hebrews chapter 4 verse 14. And we're going to introduce the subject of the priesthood today. Christ is our great High Priest. The title for today's message is our compassionate Priest. You'll see that in the text Hebrews 4:14 through 16 is our text for today. And I'd love for you to see this for yourself because we have a great High Priest. By way of introduction, you remember what the book of Hebrews is all about: Christ is better. He's better, He's better than everything. He's better than anything that the Hebrews struggled with putting above Christ as an idol. For example, they idolized the law. They tried to follow the law, but Christ is Lord of the law. He's Lord of the Sabbath. Christ is not only our King. He's our Prophet. He's our personal Priest. And I'll just say to you, if anything has stolen that your joy, has stolen your love, has stolen any type of your fullness in Christ, you've crawled up underneath some type of law. That's what the law does. It weighs you down. And the Israelites were worn out for trying to keep the law. All the minute details weighed them down. And by the way, that affected others as well because it sapped them of all of their joy in Christ. And so they needed to repent and run to Christ. And so Christ is Lord of the law. And the Word is sufficient for us today.

We see that the book of Hebrews is all about the fact that Christ is better than anything and everything. And so our life is in Christ. He's better than the law. But not only that, He's superior as well to angels. We see that in chapter 1 the Israelites really revered the angelic ministry of God. And so Christ is better than angels. And He's also better than Moses. Oh, they idolized Moses. They loved their pastor a little bit too much, so much so that God had to bury Moses Himself so that they would not make a shrine out of His bones. So Moses is not better than Christ. Christ is better than Moses. And Christ is also better than Joshua. And He's also better than David. These names are in the text. He's also better than the priesthood in Israel. He's better than every individual priest from the tribe of Levi within Israel. Christ is better, He's better, He's better. If you said it growing up in church before, "It's all about Jesus," you got it, right? Because it really truly is all about Jesus. And this book, Hebrews, is magnificent. And it's going to keep pointing to Christ in every chapter. And so keep coming and keep learning about this, lifting up the name of Jesus. And don't stop at any particular point. Don't stop at the law and miss Christ. Don't stop at perhaps learning about Moses or learning about Joshua or learning about David or learning about the old covenant. Don't stop at those things. Keep pressing forward because all of these things point to the glory of Jesus Christ. And so as this theologian, this preacher of Hebrews, is pointing the stubborn Israelites who are being tempted to fall away from what they know is true in Christ back into Judaism, back into following the law, back into revering Moses, back into talking about angels more than Christ, back into whatever their old ways might have been. This Hebrew preacher is urgently pressing them forward through their trials, through their tribulations, through their sufferings to focus on Jesus. And in this text, He is drawing them closer to Jesus. He's pulling them out of their self-centered mindset into Christ. He's pulling them out of focusing on their trials and trying to figure it out themselves to focusing on Christ because Christ truly is sufficient for everything in life. So as we continue to learn, we'll go forward beyond these chapters and learn about how Christ is superior to the old covenant. He's superior over the old tabernacle. And He's superior over our individual lives. And so that's the whole book of Hebrews encapsulated for today. Let's read the text in Hebrews chapter 4 verses 14 to 16 and dig out some more truth together.

Therefore, since we have a great High Priest who was passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore, let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in the time of need.

Point number one: if you're taking notes—and you know that we encourage you to take notes since we have note-taking tables in our worship center—I love the culture of learners. Point number one is that God is approachable. God is approachable. It's the pride of man that keeps him from the compassion of God. We see in the text by way of observation that God is approachable through Jesus in verse 14. It says this: therefore, since we have a great High Priest, we have Him, okay? Who was passed through the heavens. Wow! Jesus, the Son of God. This is a very interesting title, and it places two concepts in one title. Jesus is one title. The Son of God is another title. And the Hebrew preacher here is combining both of these titles for one title: Jesus. By way of reference, the preacher here is referencing the fact that this is God incarnate. This is God in the flesh. Jesus the God-man. He came, okay? Deity wrapped in flesh. So Jesus, and then the Son of God, is a reference to His deity, the Son of God. And so here you have His humanity and His deity wrapped up in one title. And that's the reason why He's approachable. You think, "How is He approachable?" He's approachable in Christ.

And then in verse 15, it has another little concept that is so intriguing: "For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in all ways, in all things as we are." Circle those words: "as we are." That is comforting. The things that you struggle with in the flesh, so did Christ in every way. He was tempted in every way. He struggled. All of the temptations have been very, very, very clear. So we observe the fact that He is approachable. God has made Himself approachable. And this applies to you because if you seek Him, you will find Him. And it has been true ever since Deuteronomy chapter 4 verse 29. If you seek Him, you will find Him. And it's true in the New Testament as well. James 4:8 says: "Draw nigh into Christ, and He'll draw nigh into you. God, draw nigh into the Lord, and He will draw nigh back." This is a promise of being able to be not only united in Christ by way of salvation but in communion with Christ. He is approachable. He is approachable because He is as well sympathetic. And He can empathize with us. You see that in the text that He has these sympathies because He's been there.

Point number two: God is approachable because He has been there. God is approachable because He has been there before. In verse 14, notice the words: "He's been tempted in all things." In verse 15, the Bible says this: "For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin." He's been tempted in all things. He, by way of observation, you can say you look at the Bible and say this Man, God, this God-man, has been tempted in His humanity in every way such as we, in every way. He's been tempted. Just by way of observation, you could go through all kinds of different texts and prove this point. But you see in Matthew chapter 4 the testing of hunger, okay? And then you also see the testing of testing God. Satan said to Jesus, "Throw yourself off of this high mountain or this high temple or this the corner of this building. God will catch you. He'll send angels to catch you. Don't tempt God. Don't be jumping off of buildings and testing God to see if He's going to catch you." That's ludicrous, and Jesus didn't fall for it. Nor did He fall for worldly power. Satan offered Him power and prestige. "I'll give you all the kingdoms of the world," which is a lie anyway because Christ is already King. He already owns everything. Satan was giving Him something or offering Him something that He already had. Don't fall for those tricks, for those schemes.

In Matthew chapter 27, verse 40, the Bible says: "Save yourself if you are the Son of God. Come down." What a temptation that He faced on the cross! Enduring suffering, scourging, embarrassment, humiliation, all the things that are horrific about the cross. This hurled temptation: "Save yourself if you're the Son of God." Of course, He's the Son of God. He doesn't have to come off the cross to prove that, but He endured that temptation the same as we also endure temptations. You can interpret this point this way: This is His real humanity. He can truly sympathize with us because in His humanity, all of His sufferings and all of His temptations—oh, were they real!—and you can apply this to your life by way of illustration through even Joe's testimony this morning.

Joe said to me this morning, "He said because of the sufferings a year ago from this season and now, he was in the darkest place of my life—physically, emotionally, spiritually. Everything was just so tough. But because the Lord saw me through that, I now have the empathy and the sympathy to serve my wife while she's going through the toughest trial of her life." What an application to this concept! Great job, Joe. You're serving your wife sacrificially. We love you, brother. We're here for you. We love Don. We want her to know that we're praying for her. But he gave testimony and glory to God for the deepest trial of his life being made into something that not only glorifies God but has helped him. God worked the hardest trial of Joe's life for good. And I praise God alongside him with that. And so God is approachable because He has gone through similar sufferings. He's been there before. And point number three then is that God is approachable because He's been there and He has what we need.

He's been there before, and He has what you need. Whatever you like today, God has. This is a rich blessing. Whatever you need, God not only owns, He's custom-designed the solution, and it is not a limited blessing. It's a rich and wonderful, limitless blessing. These blessings are itemized in verse 16. Verse 16 says: "Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." Mercy and grace is what God is offering in our time of need. And you need those things. The mercy is God's punishment upon you that you deserve removed. And so the deserved punishment that you have had lingering over your life has now been removed. It's mercy. He showed you mercy, and I praise God for that. And grace is His favor despite our faults. And as He bestows His favor upon His children despite our shortcomings, and despite the things that we do that dishonor Him, despite the things that we do that hurt other people, despite the things that we do that hurt ourselves, despite our shortcomings, God's grace is amazing, and it is sufficient.

And when God bestows His grace upon you and His mercy, when you know you don't deserve it, and He kind of covers things over, He helps you through the love of God that you feel is tremendous. And so God, by way of His Son, makes Himself available to you when you are at your worst. Why would you hide from such a gentle and loving and caring God? When you're suffering and when you're in need, why would you not draw near to Him? It's human nature. It's our pride that keeps us from the grace of God. It's our own pride that we want to figure it out ourselves. "I'm going to figure it out. I'm gonna muscle my way through. I can do it," said the Israelites who were so stubborn. We, in our pride, keep ourselves from the compassion of God.

A priest was appointed to make sacrifices to God on behalf of Israel to appease God's wrath. He was also appointed as one who was to pray for Israel to God. This was the great High Priest role. I should just say the High Priest role in Israel, along with other priests. A priest is a go-between. He's a mediator. I hope that you've never been in litigation before where you needed a mediator, but it sure is nice to have a mediator to go between the parties. In between you and your sinful state and a thrice-Holy God, you need a mediator. We can't come into the presence of God without being burnt like Moses. His face was shining with God's glory, and even God's hindparts would fry us. We cannot approach God. The brilliance would require something more than what we have—a glorified body one day, maybe hearing to be able to be in the presence of God. We've got a mediator. The Son, Jesus Christ, who not only is our spokesman who intercedes by prayer for us, but also tells us of the Father's will. And so He's the mediator. He's the go-between between us. He is acting as God's voice. He is God, and He also voices the voice of the people. The priesthood among Israel is the foreshadowing of Christ.

Everything that the priesthood did—and keep coming—we've got a lot more details to figure out and enjoy and learn in regards to the priesthood. But all the priesthood is is a type. It's a foreshadowing of the great High Priest. And guess what? You have right here in verse 14: "Therefore, since we have a great High Priest." That is not mentioned of the High Priest in the Old Testament, and is not mentioned of priests in the Old Testament. That great God is great! The great High Priest. So the priesthood is pointing in all of the priests' actions, in all of who He is, and all of what He does, is pointing to Jesus. This is a huge picture, and you got to get this. When you stand in front of modern art, sometimes you look at it and you're like, "I don't have a clue what that is. Whoever painted that is either smarter than me or perhaps dumber than me." But you got to get this picture. This is a phenomenal picture, folks. This is the picture of what Jesus does for you.

The picture of the priesthood is pointing you to your Prophet, Priest, and King. These are big pictures. All right, let's talk about the big picture for just a moment to help us all see pictures and symbols in the Bible. We need to see that this is how God demonstrated His redemption to His people, to a people who didn't have pen and paper like you do and I do, to a people who did not have the canonized Bible. They didn't have the Word Bible. They had the law, they had the prophets, and they had the Psalms, the Psalter. They had the scriptures, and chapter 24 verse 44, all of their scriptures was speaking of Christ. So not only is the priesthood pointing to Christ, but the entire scripture for which they knew and had. It's like the preacher to the Hebrews. He's saying, "Wake up. Don't drift back into your own self-sufficiency. Do not allow sufferings to bring you or to take you or to cause you to drift away from Christ." Hebrews chapter 2 verse 1: "Do not drift. Wake up. Get the picture. The picture is not for you to analyze the priesthood and stop at the priesthood. The picture is to glorify the one whom the picture is pointing to."

And so God continues to speak this way in all of His word to a people who did not have pen and paper readily available like us, like we do. God spoke in times of old in huge pictures, not just a priesthood. He took His chosen people into exile, and this whole time in exile in Egypt is a picture. It's a picture of death and sin. It's a picture of us who used to be before we were made alive, in death and in sin. We're dead men walking. The Bible says in Ephesians chapter 2. And so that's a picture. It's a picture so that people could see it, not forget it. And God used His people and put them into exile so that we would not forget these things. This is so important. But He didn't stop there with that picture. He didn't leave them in death. He didn't leave them in Egypt. He gave them the picture then of the Exodus, which is the picture of redemption. Redemption! And so as you see God bringing His people out of Egypt, it's a picture of saving grace. It's a picture of being brought closer to Christ, into Christ. Big picture! The Bible is not just word for word, verse for verse, chapter for chapter, book for book. The book is huge. The pictures are wonderful. But not only do we see that the priesthood is pointing to Christ, like the exile points towards the fact that we are sinners in need of a Savior. Not only do we see the Exodus pointing to Christ as ones who can be saved from our sin, but we also see pictures like when God brought His chosen people into Canaan Land, a picture of heaven, a picture of rest in Christ. A picture, a picture to be able to see these wonderful themes. Do you see them? You enjoy them? You get it?

Because the author of Hebrews, the preacher of Hebrews, is speaking and using pictures to be able to depict wonderful truths about Christ, the priesthood, just like Canaan Land, just like the Exodus, and just like the exile, is a picture. It's a type. But He doesn't stop there. He goes on to prove that the tabernacle itself—the whole thing—it's a picture. Turn to chapter 8 with me if you would, chapter 8 verses 1 and 2. I just want you to see. I didn't want to take the time to chase down every verse in the Old Testament to prove that these are types and shadows, but I do want you to see the picture of the tabernacle being a picture of the true tabernacle to come. In chapter 8 verses 1 and 2: "Now the main point of what has been said is this: We have such a High Priest who has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens. Okay, Christ is Priest. He's on the throne."

"Verse 2: 'A minister in the sanctuary and in the true tabernacle.' Circle the word 'true.' The true tabernacle. It's not the tabernacle that can rust and decay in the Old Testament—poles and tents and stuff. Whatever happened to the Ark of the Covenant is destroyed. Whatever happened to all those pieces of beautiful furniture that were overlaid in gold—that's not the true tabernacle. All of the pictures inside of that old tabernacle is pointing to the true tabernacle. And so you can study each of the pieces of the furniture and get rich truth from the tabernacle pointing to Jesus. This is a picture of what is to come. It is beautiful. And so now the priesthood pictures Christ as our mediator. Turn back to Hebrews chapter 4. Israel has always been God's chosen people, His priestly nation. And within the nation of Israel, there is even a priestly tribe—the tribe of Levi. And so you have within God's chosen people not only a nation, okay? A nation of priests. But within Israel you have a priesthood. So Israel itself is a type and a shadow of what is to come for the great High Priest, the true Priest. Do you get this? In the text in Hebrews chapter 4 verse 14: "Therefore, since we have a great High Priest, hear what the preacher is saying. It's not about the old covenant that's been obsolete for quite some time now. It's not about the old rules. It's about what they point to. There was a shadow pointing to Christ. And so now we have a great High Priest. Jesus Christ is His name. And so this great High Priest according to Hebrews 4:14 is not only great—He's great because He is the Son of God and deity—but He is great as well according to the entire book of Leviticus, one who has made purification for our sins once and for all.

And as you move from the book of Exodus, which we see a large picture of redemption, now you're looking at the book of Leviticus chronologically as well as a picture of coming into Christ in His sanctification. He is truly working in our lives in such a way that not only do we have a great High Priest to be able to make an offering—a one offering, not like the old priests who had to offering after offering after offering to appease God, to appease God, to appease God, to pray, to pray, to pray—we had one High Priest who is Himself one offering. One purification. In Hebrews chapter 1, verse 3, it's almost like as if this is a main pressing idea from the preacher of Hebrews here, whoever the author may be. I think it could be the Apostle Paul. I think it is the Apostle Paul. What other theologian do we know who had such a rich and wonderful theological wherewithal of the Old Testament to be able to put all of this stuff together?

Well, here in verse 3, Hebrews 1:3 says: "He is the radiance of His glory. Whole sermon right there. In the exact representation of His nature. There's a whole sermon right there. And upholds all things by the word of His power. There's a whole sermon right there. And when He had made purification for sins, Jesus, our High Priest, He is the one who made a purification for our sins. He is the one who offered Himself as the one sacrifice that was sufficient for all of those who would repent and believe in Him. And that is the role of the High Priest to make purification for sins, to offer a sacrifice. And now Jesus is fulfilling that role as the great High Priest, who doesn't need to do it over and over and over again. He just needs to do it one time because He is God. He can do it one time, and it's enough. He can save from the uttermost, and He can save all of what needs to be saved from past, and then in the present and in the future. He can say—He can gloriously save. So the priestly role of being one who offers purification and intercession for the people, Jesus is fulfilling this double work. Look with me in Hebrews chapter 7. Hebrews chapter 7 verse 23 through 26 shows us this double work.

Hebrews 7:23: "The former priests on the one hand existed in greater numbers because they were prevented by death from continuing. Okay, so you have priests who are mere men, and they died. They couldn't continue the priesthood. And He's the one who you need—one who cannot die—Jesus. But Jesus, verse 24, but Jesus, on the other hand, because He continues forever, holds His priesthood permanently. Therefore, okay. Now, let's take all of this stuff and put it into some type of application. Good information, right? Good stuff, right? We're here in verse 25: 'Therefore, He is able also to save forever.' Do you struggle with eternal security? Listen, this great High Priest, when He saves, He saves forever. It's not according to your works. It's not according to your obedience. It's not according to a prayer. It's not according to your baptism. It's not according to your church attendance. It's not according to Emma to give. It's not according to how much you anything."

"It is according to Christ, His deity, His eternity. When He saves, He saves forever. And so our salvation is eternal. And this great High Priest not only does He save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He also lives to make intercession for them. Just like we read in John chapter 17, the great High Priestly prayer of Christ on behalf of us. You know that you're prayed for? Isn't it comforting when someone calls or texts you or puts their loving arm around you in the hallways, 'I've been praying for you'? Isn't that comforting? You read this text. Be comforted by Christ. Be comforted by the Word of God because He prays for you. He's interceding for you. And then in verse 26: 'For it was fitting for us to have such a High Priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens.' What a wonderful, wonderful passage! This is truly thinking of the priesthood correctly. And so don't stop at the shadow. Don't stop at the priesthood. Continue to see what the priesthood is pointing to in these big pictures. All glory truly goes to Christ. Ephesians 3:21, all glory truly goes to Christ. He is worthy of glory. Revelation 5:12, worthy is the Lamb."

Types reveal tremendous truths. Types reveal monumental aspects. And as you study the Word of God, you see them, and you're enriched by them as you enjoy them. Old Testament types become New Testament truths. Our New Testament is founded upon the Old Testament. What is concealed in the Old Testament is revealed in the New Testament. So sorry, Andy Stanley, who says he wants to un-hitch from the Old Testament. He doesn't know his Bible. But you do. To be able to spot one who is spewing false falsities, let me tell you, it is a horrific sin against God to try and separate the old from the new. It is one God, one plan of salvation, one great High Priest, one King, one Prophet. And so our compassionate High Priest, He's wonderful, and He's been being pictured in all of His work and wonders from the beginning of time. As you read your Bible, you want to zoom out and see the book as a whole—like Exodus, like Leviticus—and see what the book is accomplishing. And then zoom in and see the details that are truly pointing to the work and the fulfillment of Christ. It's wonderful. So Exodus is about deliverance, and Leviticus is about your dedication, okay? As it is applied.

And this is really neat because now we are, as saved ones like Christ, a kingdom of priests. The priesthood of the believers. And now we are to take on the similar works that Christ does. Do you intercede for people? You pray for people? You do that. Do you help people? Are you there for people? Do you do these things? Do you sacrificially offer yourself to people for their benefit at the extent of yourself? You're like Christ. We are considered a priesthood of believers. This is wonderful. And so take home truth number one: in the text you should speak of Him specifically. Speak of Him specifically. Since we have this High Priest, we need to speak of Him specifically. In verse 14, go back to Hebrews chapter 4 verse 14: "Therefore, since we have a great High Priest who was passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast to our what? Confession."

Let us hold fast to the beliefs of our faith. But we're not just holding fast like as if we were to be rooted and grounded in His love. It doesn't stop there. We are to speak sound doctrine. Titus chapter 2 verse 1: we are to speak specifically of Christ, the things that He did in His priesthood. You should know them, and to be able to say what they are, and then do them. You should be able to speak specifically about what you confess. And this is wonderful. Jesus intercedes to the Father on behalf of us. And now we need to speak and confidently speak to Him on behalf of others. And so speak of Christ. Tell people about Christ. Be a witness, not just holding fast in your life to make sure you and your own are good, but we are to confess Christ, to speak Him specifically. This word "confess" means that we are not only confessing Christ, but we're confessing—look where it's pointing to—His greatness, the greatness of Christ. The word "great" means mega, okay? Means the extent for which He has been measured, which is impossible by the way. The greatness of Christ—He's immeasurable. But it speaks to the extent of who Christ is. And so we are to speak specifically about Christ and confess Him. His sonship is what makes Him great. And we speak of His greatness. We speak of His greatness in His sonship in these wonderful areas. We speak of Him specifically, and we speak of His divinity. Jesus is God.

I was going through the back of her neighborhood yesterday, and I pulled over and circle back around, and I said hi to a neighbor. And he looked over, and I took my sunglasses off, and I started to share Christ. I said, "Do you know Jesus?" And he smiled and looked at me. I said, "Let me tell you who Jesus is specifically, real fast." And I shared with him the death and the burial and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, that we need to repent of our sin and place our faith and trust in Him. And if we don't repent, we will likewise then perish and endure eternity in hell rather than in heaven forever. And He smiled and looked at me. He says, "You are a different brother." He said He appreciated me taking my sunglasses off so he could see my eyes and be genuine with him. But he had never encountered someone who genuinely shared the gospel with him. I asked him where he was from. I had a hint just by looking. He's from Jamaica. I mean, the whole getup screamed Jamaica. What a wonderful conversation I had with this man, and I need to learn more about this whole twelve tribes thing where he comes from because he believed in Christ, but he wasn't a Christian. And so I need to follow up with him and continue to share Christ. I gave him the gospel. I planted the seed. Lord, save him. But he adequately said he clearly said, "I'm not a Christian." And so nevertheless, I pray for this neighbor of mine to become a Christian. I spoke of him specifically. Here's what I'm telling you this for: I have found that if we don't spit it all out at once, that oftentimes the conversation will get hijacked and about things of this world and whatever concerns they go, green concerns, you know, what, whatever they're worried about or thinking about—things of this world. The things that are at the forefront of their mind. The things that are stewing on their heart. And so I listened, and you know, and listen, everything. But they weren't the things of Christ. But here's what I'm trying to say to you: Be ready to share the gospel, and when you start sharing the gospel, spit it all out specifically. Get it all out. There may not be an opportunity to start speaking again to have their ear in that conversation. And so be ones who are sharing the gospel. Be ready to share the gospel. Be ready to confess Him specifically. Have these things internalized. And I know many, many, many of you do. I hear testimonies of evangelism all the time. I'm so proud of our evangelists here—the women, the wind that went, the men, the boys, the girls—and share Christ. Keep sharing Christ. Don't be ashamed of Christ.

You know someone said it this way: "Preach if necessary use words." I Ken rebuddle that this morning, and he said, "That's like saying feed the homeless if necessary use food." Wasn't that good? I thought that was worth repeating. We need to be specific. We need to be accurate in these things. And so we have the personhood and the power of Christ. This mega crisis, mega crisis—great High Priest. You know the disciples were struggling with Christ's power and deity. Jesus just spoke up and calmed the storm. In Mark chapter 4 verse 41, the Bible says this: "And they became very afraid and said to one another, 'Who then is this that even the wind and the sea obey Him?'" And I think if you speak specifically of Christ, you can bring some weightiness to the conversation as well. This is who we are talking about—the Lord God, who spoke and spaced it out to six days and created everything that you see. The God who just spoke and calmed the storm. This is who we're talking about! Jesus! Speak of Him! You never know how speaking up will impact not only someone else's life but your own life, right? And so I think that we should just simply be bright Christians. Be bright. Let your light shine. Speak. Sing. Do not be scared into a shadow. Don't not say anything.

Do not let your hearts be troubled. The Bible says don't become, don't be overcome with anxiety in sharing Christ. I mean, speak up. Speak. Confess Christ. Talk about Christ. Continue to speak of Him. And as we learn to speak specifically of Christ, I'd like to just simply rattle through what we have learned specifically of Christ thus far in this book. Hold on. I'm just going to move fast through this. I would ask the question: How great is Jesus Christ thus far for what we have learned in the text? Jesus Christ is superior to the Old Testament law. He's the heir of all things in chapter 2 verse 1. He's the creator of all things, chapter 1 verse 2. He is the radiance of His glory, one three. He is God's exact nature, one three. He upholds all things, one three. He has made sufficient—He has made sufficient the purification of sin, one three. He is enthroned on high, one three. He is supreme over angels, chapter one verse four. His name is great and excellent, and He is God's Son, one five. Angels worship Him, one six. Angels minister for Him, one seven. He is called righteous and eternal God, one eight. His gladness and greatness is not diminished by evil, one nine. He made the heavens and earth, one ten. He never changes, one twelve. His enemies are but a footstool, one thirteen. We don't drift from Him, to one, nor would we disobey Him, chapter 2 verse 2. And testimonies and signs and wonders and prophecies point to Him, chapter 2 verse 5. He is crowned with glory, two seven, and everything is subject to Him, chapter 2 verse 8. And He has tasted death for everyone who were repentant believe, chapter 2 verse 9. And He is the author and the perfector of our faith, chapter 2 verse 11. And He is a sanctifier of our salvation, chapter 2 verse 11 and chapter 2 verse 12. He says, "I will proclaim Your name in the midst of the congregation." And this is by way of application for us as well to proclaim His name in the midst of the congregation among yourselves. We should be proclaiming His name, speaking of Jesus. He is the center point of our life and our conversation. What's on the forefront of our mind? I was so proud of this congregation on Super Bowl Sunday because I did not hear anything about the Super Bowl. It was all about Christ. We're here for a reason. You bring your Bibles on purpose.

And so as we continue to learn more about Christ, we've learned also that He rendered the devil powerless in chapter 2 verse 14. And not only that, He removed the fear of death, chapter 2 verse 15. And He helps children of Abraham, 2:16. And He is a merciful High Priest, 2:17. He endured punishment for sin, chapter 2 verse 17. And He is the High Priest, chapter 2 verse 17. And now He helps the tempted, 2:18. He is the High Priest of our confession, 3:1. He's superior over Moses, 3:3. He provides salvation and rest for people, chapter 4 verse 1. David points to Jesus, chapter 4 verse 7. Joshua points to Jesus, chapter 4 verse 8. And He is the Word, the Judge, chapter 4 verse 12. And He sees everything—every thought and every intention, chapter 4 verse 13. Therefore, since we have a great High Priest.

Take home truth number two: Draw near to Him. Draw near to Him. Christ is capable and gentle with our tender needs. Draw near to Him. In Hebrews chapter 4 verse 15, it says: "For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in always as we are, yet without sin." This word "sympathize" is so interesting. Christ sympathizes with you in the flesh. How does He do that? The word "sympathize" means this: to have fellow feelings. Have you ever felt what somebody else has felt before? You take it on. Christ has fellow feelings with you. He has felt our frailties. He has felt our weaknesses. He has felt our temptations. He's been tested. He's been afflicted. He's been tried, all of these permitted by God. And His people are too. Draw near to Him because He can sympathize with our weaknesses.

You say to someone who is going through a specific trial, "I know someone who has gone through that before. Go talk to them. They can minister to you specifically." Jesus has in every way been there before. And so He sympathizes accurately. What does it mean to draw closer to God? It means to approach Him. To come closer to Him with confidence for His mercy and His grace. What does it mean to come confidently and to approach Christ for mercy and grace? It means to come into His presence with thanksgiving in your heart. It means to have reverence. It means to bow—the inner posture of your heart before God. It means to repent of your sin before Him on the spot. It means to pull back the veil of this world and come into His courts, come into His presence. It means to have some prayerful worship of yourselves. It means to commune with Christ. This is drawing near to Christ. It is making your mind fixated on Him, some special time.

Husbands, do you love your wives? You know that wives spell love differently than most. Love is T-I-M-E. Time. Do you love your wives? You spend time with your wives? You love Christ? You spend time—intimate, close, personal, secluded time—time with Christ, communing with Christ. That's when He ministers to our soul. That's when He fixes our heart. So when He sets our mind on things above, this is intentional. In an intentional drawing closer to Christ, you're missing out if you're not drawing closer to Christ. You're missing out on so much. You have got to put a pause on the busy things of this world and eliminate all the distractions and come into His courts, His holy of holies. It's no longer limited to the High Priest once a year. You can enter into the holy of holies right now. You can come right into His personal presence. Draw near to Him.

Now in the text is says when you draw near to Him, He's going to help you in verse 16: "Therefore, let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." Now I think that you understand much of this text by way of application. You can think through all of the things in your life that you need, and you can categorize them underneath mercy and grace. And God is sufficient for all of those things. But if I was to pick out one thing to help us today in regards to how Christ can help us, by the way that we need His help, that oftentimes we do not perceive that we need His help, it would be to draw near to Christ. Not only for daily help—yes, learning of Christ, obey in Christ, yes, our daily problems, our hang-ups, yes, our health, yes, evangelism, discipleship, yes, I get it. You know all of these ways of application. But I think by way of one specific application today, if I could hang my hat on this, and I think that we all, as Christians, need is a deeper. It's deeper than daily living. It is daily dying.

You see our great High Priest offered Himself as a substitute. He died. And then the Apostle Paul says in First Corinthians chapter 15 verse 31 that I die daily. I think that we need to draw closer to Christ and to ask Him for help in our daily, not living, but dying. Yes, we need help to live. "Lord, help us live for You. Help us to speak for You. Help us to evangelize, to make disciples, to worship You, to be bright lights for You." Yes, yes, and amen. Double, triple, and quadruple amen. Amen until the cows come home. But truly, we need help in our daily dying. Husbands, how do you love your wives? You're to love your wife like Christ loved the Church. How did He love the Church? He died for her. Ephesians 5:25. He died for her. Do you need help dying to the self so that you can love your wife? Yes. Don't we all? Nobody wanted to admit it, but we all do inwardly say, "Yes, Lord, yes, Lord, help me."

Inwardly embrace the dying of the self, to crucify the desires of the self, and in place of feeding my own desires and flesh and what I want to do, let me serve sacrificially. Your wife is your training ground to be able to go forth and make disciples. It's only by way of sacrificial—a sacrificial dying unto yourself—will you intentionally make disciples. Will you share the gospel, make disciples? You can think of a million different things that you would rather do rather than go find somebody and share the gospel with them because it feels awkward. You don't want to do it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I don't play tennis. Sometimes I'd rather go play tennis and share the gospel. I get it. But if you're going to die to yourself, you need help in dying. I need help in dying to myself. It's not my time. You've been bought and paid for by Christ, right? It's God's time. He owns time. He created time. What is time? What is money? Seriously, so many have made a god out of money. What is money? A figment of our imagination? It's what we put value upon. Paper. It's not even paper anymore. It's digital. What is it? And yet we would serve that. Oh, how we need help dying to ourselves so that we would invest sacrificially into the kingdom of God. We need help with dying.

Jesus was also clear about this from the very beginning, and we've missed it as Evangelicals. We've missed it as Christians. We've missed it as Christian missionaries. We've missed it as ones who are mission. And I'm gonna prove it to you. Are you ready? Turn to Hebrews chapter 12 verse 1. I'm hanging my hat on this today, and I'm going to conclude with this today, that we need help in our dying. Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 1. We only got just a couple more scriptures to go. So hang on if you're hungry, hang on. Tell your stomach to be quiet.

Hebrews chapter 12 verse 1: "Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses, okay, you can underline, circle the word 'witnesses.' This is where I'm hanging my hat today because the word 'witness' in the Greek is actually a different word than what you might perceive it to be. This word 'witness' means one who bears witness by his death. This word 'witness' is actually in the Greek, martyr. You know what martyr is, right? You know what the word 'martyr' means? Nobody likes to think of martyrdom—dying for Christ. But from the very beginning, in Acts chapter 1 verse 8, Jesus said, 'You will be My martyrs.' It is so clear from the very beginning that we are to die for Christ. That's the mission. The disciples fulfill Christ's mission."

"Most of Christianity has it backwards. If Jesus was to apply the church growth strategy of today, then He would have said, 'Disciples, don't go. Stay in Jerusalem. Let's build a mega church. All right, and let's be all about the numbers and all about the seats and all about the buildings.' But that's not the mission. The mission is to train and equip people to go be martyrs, to go be witnesses—ones who would, ones who would speak specifically of things like the beautiful priesthood in Leviticus that points to the great High Priest who has made propitiation for your sins, who offered Himself to be one who was martyred. This is not new. Revelation chapter 1 verse 5, Jesus Christ, the faithful Martyr, in the Greek, the faithful Witness. Acts 1:8, 'You will be My witnesses.' This is tremendous. I think we need help not only in our living but also in our dying."

"Our great High Priest helps us in our daily dying. And so if you need help in this area, I think that it is worth exploring this just a little bit more, doing some simple word studies and seeing how you have been called, not only to live for Christ, but also to die for Christ. And if you would like, Jesus said in John 13:15: 'For I gave you an example so that you would do just as I did. Yes, just as He did.'"

"He washed His disciples' feet, the most humble act that could perhaps be described in this chapter in John chapter 13 verse 15: 'Do as I did.' And then by way of further application, be crucified for Christ. Give up your life so that others can see Jesus. You say, 'My life consists of I like to do this. I like to do that. I like my life. My I want to do this. My desires, my desires.' Hey, let's conform our desires to the Word of God. And when you do that, you will not only live a better life, but you'll also die at the same time. And that is a secret to life in Christ. That's a secret to being filled with Christ. When you empty your life out with Christ, Christ fills you right back up the next day in such a way that is so beautiful, it's so wonderful, it's so amazing that you are flowing with Christ, and you can't wait to invest more time into the things of God. You can't wait to pour out your life for the things of God. And whether it's maintaining this beautiful building that God has given us to maintain or whether it is spreading the gospel in the community that God has given us to live in, with whatever the case may be, you will sacrificially serve."

"Oh, but wait a minute. Wait a minute. Do, do, do we have to do this for people who are not Christians, for people who are not saved? Do we have to do this? Yes. Is that not the point? To be a light to the lost. I hope that today you have enjoyed this introduction to the priesthood of Christ and seen the compassion that He offers not only us but we are then therefore to go forth and to offer the same compassion to others. Second Corinthians chapter one in the first twelve verses talks about comfort—the comfort of God—and how we are comforted by God. And that comfort is not to stay with you. That comfort that you receive from God is for the comforting of others. I hope you see this. This is life in Christ."

Pray with me if you would. Lord, thank you so much for the time that we've had feasting upon Your Word today. And God, I pray for those in need. There are desperate needs around us, Lord, that I can hardly verbalize without experiencing the agony in my heart. So God, I lift up those who are in need today. There are ministries around us. There are families around us, and there are people close to our families that are in desperate need. And at the end of the day, I am so confident in Your grace and in Your mercy to meet the needs of the people who are in need that I do not worry. I sleep well after I pray for people. And God, I pray that this would be the habit of all of us here at Beulah Baptist Church, that we would be a dynamic people of prayer and that we would take it all to Your throne and we would take all of our prayers to You and leave them there and be confident in Your all-sufficient grace and that You do work all things for Your glory and are good according to Romans 8:28 for those who love You.

Dear God, I pray for the ones whom have not entered into Your rest and I pray that You would save their soul. I pray, dear God, that if they have never repented of their sin, that You would make it so obvious that they have fallen short of Your glory that they can't stand it anymore. And if they must bow, the posture of their heart before You and repent of their sin and confess You as Lord and Savior, the one who has died on the cross in their place. And Lord, I pray for the dear saint today that is here, that is no longer at rest. Somehow they have worked their way out from underneath Your grace, Your love, Your sufficiency, and are striving in the flesh. They've lost their joy. They've lost their light, and they've lost their love. I pray, dear Jesus, that if there be one here today that as a saint that's been saved, gloriously saved, and they know they are eternally saved, but yet at the same time they're drained, that You would help them, fill them with life. Dear God, as we walk with You, it is a life more abundant and free. Help us to empty ourselves out for You and to be filled right back up with You. And You say in Ephesians 5:18 to be filled with the Holy Spirit. And so I pray that You would help us, as Christians, ones who are ambassadors for You, to be filled with Your Holy Spirit, full of life, so that we can continue to spread Your glorious gospel and make disciples. It's in Christ's name that we pray. Amen.